LEXICAL SETS and PHONEMIC SYMBOLS – VOWELS

             adapted from Accents in English (Wells 1982: pp. xviii-ix, 120-2, 166-7)


                                              Keyword

                                             RP/BrE^1

                                               GenAm

                                           Example words


                                           SHORT VOWELS

KIT

                                                 ɪ

                                                 ɪ

this, sick, busy, ship, English

DRESS

                                                 e

                                                e/ɛ

bed, said, head, any, friend

TRAP

                                                 æ

                                                 æ

bad, dad, thank, back, batter

LOT

                                                 ɒ

                                               ɑ/ ɑː

odd, wash, stop, dog, quality

STRUT

                                                 ʌ

                                                 ʌ

cup, mug, front, love, blood

FOOT

                                                 ʊ

                                                 ʊ

put, full, good, wolf, butcher

                                            LONG VOWELS

FLEECE

                                                iː

                                               i/iː

these, creep, speak, key, people

GOOSE

                                                uː

                                               u/uː

two, blue, through, shoot, tomb

NURSE

                                                ɜː

ɜr/ɜːr/ ɝ

stir, learn, refer, hurt, term

NORTH

THOUGHT

                                                ɔː

                                                ɔː

                                              ɔr/ɔːr

                                               ɔ/ɔː

war, short, port, born, warm

taught, sauce, law, broad, hawk

START

BATH

PALM

                                                ɑː

                                                ɑː

                                                ɑː

                                              ɑr/ ɑːr

                                                 æ

                                               ɑ/ ɑː

far, sharp, carve, farm, heart

staff, dance, sample, ask, brass

psalm, father, bra, spa, lager

                                 CLOSING DIPHTHONGS (ending in ɪ)

FACE

                                                eɪ

                                                eɪ

day, take, break, veil, raid

PRICE

                                                aɪ

                                                aɪ

high, eye, lie, try, arrive

CHOICE

                                                ɔɪ

                                                ɔɪ

boy, toy, noise, join, coin

                                 CLOSING DIPHTHONGS (ending in ʊ)

GOAT

                                                əʊ

                                                oʊ

soap, rode, show, dough, roll

MOUTH

                                                aʊ

                                                aʊ

now, plough, out, loud, Audi

                                 CENTRING DIPHTHONGS (ending in ə)

NEAR

                                                ɪə

                                                ɪr

beer, year, idea, sincere, beard

CURE

                                                ʊə

                                                ʊr

poor, tour, during, sure, mature à ɔː

SQUARE

                                               eə/ɛː

                                              er/ ɛr

fair, various, bear, where, pear

                                           SCHWA /ʃwɑː/

commA

lettER

                                                 ə

                                                 ə

                                                 ə

                                                ər

Africa, America, today, above, control

paper, better, figure, calendar, standard

                                           NON-PHONEMIC

The happY vowel

                                                 i

                                                 i

money, busy, lucky, react, committee

The thank yOU vowel

                                                 u

                                                -^

to, you, do, who, influence

^

^1^ BrE = ‘British English’ (also referred to as ‘BBC English’, ‘Standard Southern British’ (SSB)
or ‘General British’ (GB)